Beauty and the Geek
by outofdashdwz
Summary: The World Ends With You -TWEWY- : Joshua chases Sho Minamimoto in a game of tag with interesting consequences. Joshua/Minamimoto


_Disclaimer/Author's Note: All names, places, and referenced events ©Square Enix. I don't own any blah blah blah and all the rest. Actual dialogue from the game is used at the beginning, also © Square Enix. A little something I wrote in my free time for a friend._

"Work for you?"

"What do you think?"

As the downpour of crimson meteors drew to a close, Neku relaxed his grip on the pins in his hand.

"That should be the last of-"

"Neku! Behind you!"

Neku turned around just in time to see an Eurobeat Boomer coming straight at him. Or, to be more precise, the bottoms of large Eurobeat Boomer feet moving toward him at high velocity. The first thought that entered Neku's mind was "it's true what they say about people with big feet". He suppressed a grin as he reminded himself to tell Shiki abou- OH SHIT. Shiki. No. This can't end here. Not now. Neku tightly clutched his Sexy B pin as his brain processed the grave situation. Would the motorcycle to his right be enough to stop this raging kangaroo? Now's not the time for doubts. He had to at least try. Neku conjured an image in his head and concentrated on it as the pin in his hand and the motorcycle next to him simultaneously began to glow. There wasn't enough time. The Boomer was only a few feet away. "Shit. Sorry, Shiki. I'll be seeing you soon, but not where I promised," Neku thought to himself as he closed his eyes and braced for impact. He could feel the rogue kangaroo in front of him, about to collide. He stumbled backwards and fell onto his bottom, awaiting impact. Then – nothing.

"Wh-what just happened?" Neku managed to stammer after getting his breath back.

"... It seems we owe someone for saving us," Joshua warily replied.

"Who?" Neku asked as thoughts of Beat crossed his mind. Beat… Why…?

"Either way, we were lucky. I shouldn't' have been so careless. Stay sharp today, Neku. The Noise are on the march. Now - let's see what roads are open.

"Fine. We can – Ow!"

"What now, Neku?"

Joshua didn't really need to ask. He just wanted to see what Neku would do. He smiled smugly as Neku fully grasped the situation. The kid's face was priceless. Joshua looked at his watch. "I'll come back here when this is over and take a picture of his face right now with my camera," he decided as Neku's voice brought Joshua back to reality.

"That damned Noise. I was going to block it with this motorcycle but I must have dropped it on myself when I thought I was going to die."

"Gee, Neku," Joshua chided, purposely stifling a giggle, "You should be more careful. You could seriously get hurt."

Damn, this boy drove Neku crazy. Not in the good way either. That was Beat's job. "One of us is about to seriously get hurt if you don't help get this thing off of me."

"What do you expect me to do about it? I can't lift a motorcycle. Neku, are you sure it didn't fall on your head?"

Neku hated this kid. Joshua knew how to push all of the right buttons at the right time. Neku only gritted his teeth as he ignored Joshua's taunts and tried to think of a better plan – that is, until Joshua derailed his train of thought.

"How 'bout this. I'll go to Cat Street and get Mr. Hanekoma here. We can probably get this thing off of you if we both pushed."

As much as Neku hated the idea, it was better than anything he can come up with, except – "Wait. That means we'll both be alone for a while. We're both Noise bait when we're by ourselves."

Joshua had also considered that. He would be fine, of course. He'd use his powers to deal with Noise if necessary. But Neku… Crippled and trapped under a motorcycle, he would indeed be – as Neku himself put it – Noise bait. But fortunately, the Composer always had something prepared for such emergencies.

"Here. We still have a pact, so you're able to use pins even if I'm not right here," Joshua explained as he threw Neku a pin heavily emblazoned with a graffiti motif. "It's called Black Saturn. Use it if you get attacked."

"What does this pin do? What about yourself? When are you going to be back?"

Damn, he's such a woman sometimes, Joshua thought to himself. Then he chuckled at the irony and merely waved and walked into the distance.

* * *

Joshua leisurely strolled down Center Street – in the complete opposite direction of Cat Street. "I might as well take my time. It'll probably be the last time I'll get to stroll through these streets," the Composer pondered to himself. There was so many things happening around him simultaneously – a girl loudly chatting on the phone, some boys franticly trying to knock each others' pins off in a game of Tin Pin slammer – there was just simply so much… life. Life. A wonderful thing isn't it? What would these people do for a second chance at it? What would anyone do for a second chance? One orange-haired boy stood out in his mind. What would he do for a second chance…? Joshua shook his head vigorously, clearing mutinous thoughts. "This is no time for cold feet. I've gone too far to turn back now. Shibuya's sunk too far to change," he rationalized to himself.

"Speaking of Neku, I should hurry. Any of the Dark Planet pins would probably keep him alive for quite a while, but no sense in risking my proxy's safety," Joshua muttered, turning around and starting to briskly trot toward Cat Street.

* * *

"Finally. I should get some aerobic exercise from time to time when this is over," Joshua panted as the Jupiter of the Monkey store came into view. When Joshua neared WildKat, an obnoxious tenor suddenly saturated the air.

"SO ZETTA SLOW!"

Oh shit. Him? Here? How? Why? Joshua's questions were interrupted when the Grim Heaper spoke again.

"What the factor took you so long? I told you hanging around that hectopascal was a zetta bad idea."

"More importantly, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be hidden right now," Joshua retorted.

"Being hidden is garbage! CRUNCH! I'll add it to the heap! Besides, if I were hidden, the yoctogram you're with would be erased."

"I would have saved him myself if it came down to it, although I do appreciate the gesture. That doesn't explain what the hell are you're doing here. You know what would happen if any reapers or players saw us toge-"

"Who gives a digit? 'Sides, the route leading here from Towa Records is closed. You're the only one who could have passed. Even that Iron Bitch would have been stumped."

"Speaking of Konishi, I suspect she'll be next week's Game Master after Kitaniji finds some other excuse to stall Neku. I want you to –"

"Yeah, yeah, watch them from the shadows and set Taboo Noise on the harrier reapers if they try to mess with your little Neku."

"That, and if Konishi –"

"If the Iron Bitch attacks him herself, CRUNCH! I'll add her to the heap! Sometimes, I think I should be jealous of the little hectopascal. I swear you pay him more attention than you do me."

"Oh, calm down. If you start acting as girly as I do, Megumi might actually start suspecting something."

"Anyway, you owe me when this crap is all over. Just don't go messing around with your hectopascal. I don't want any diseases."

"Psh, I'll have you know Neku's perfectly clean."

"FOIL; First outer inner last! What'd you do with him?!"

"Hehe, you'll have to find out!" Joshua taunted as he weaved through the oceans of people who were completely oblivious to his presence. Joshua always loved taunting his boyfriend. Sho gets so jealous it's amusing. Besides, it always makes things much more interesting at night. Joshua ran around the streets of Shibuya with Sho right behind him, occasionally phasing into alternate dimensions when the genius got too close.

Reaching A-East, Joshua turned around, only to find Sho nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm I guess I shouldn't have switched dimensions when I turned here from Dogenzaka."

As much as Joshua would love to continue this twisted game of tag. He did have things to do and places to be. When Concert Stage came up on the right, he decided to wait it out for his boyfriend to give up and then proceed with his quest.

The inside of Concert Stage was pitch black. Perfect. He'd never –

BANG!

Alarmed by the sudden sound, Joshua turned around, only to find the doors closed behind him. A pair of radiant rouge eyes glared at him through the darkness.

"Gotcha," the giant lion roared as it tackled Joshua to the floor and shredded his shirt with one paw while pinning him down with the other.

* * *

_4 hours later._

Joshua pushed Sho off of him as he struggled to his feet. "Where the hell am- Oh shit. I forgot all about-"

Neku's last bit of strength was waning. His pins, completely exhausted, lie on the floor, as stray Noise closed in further.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!"


End file.
